Biopharmaceutical innovation ecosystems: a stakeholder model and the case of Lombardy

The purpose of this paper is to examine biopharma innovation ecosystems (IEs) through the lenses of a stakeholder model. In doing so, this work aims to answer the following research question: which stakeholders are required in an IE within biopharma industry and what are their main roles in the IE value creation. The research strategy was designed according to the grounded theory methodology. By applying this methodology, data were collected through verbatim interviews with several stakeholders. Both data collection and data analysis phases were carried out concurrently up to saturation where all data were identified and their consistency across the many forms was reached. The thesis of the paper intends to prove that biopharma IEs consist of a multilevel and longitudinal set of key stakeholders. Furthermore, by investigating the Lombardy case study, it explains the role of each stakeholder with regards to the comparative advantages required in the engagement with the IE. In addition, arising from a holistic view of the biopharma IEs, this research traces the biopharma IE dynamics through the analysis of the IE’s driving forces. This paper represents one of the first heuristic attempts to analyze in-depth biopharma IE from a holistic perspective. The paper findings can be considered to be an impactful extension to biopharma IEs world-wide. This broader scope is well supported by expert interviews as a central part of the methodology and by the investigated scientific literature.